Reciprocating jaw nutcracker



Jan. 24, 1956 H, D, SNE-LL 2,731,994

RECIPROCATING JAW NUTCRACKER Filed April 7, 1953 Harm D. Snel/ JNVENToR.

Nil-4" 44444 A United Sees Paca o RECIPROCATING JAW NUTCRACKER Harm D. Snell, Port Arthur, Tex.

Application April 7, 1953, Serial No. 347,268

1 Claim. (Cl. 14d-16) My invention relates to improvements in nut crackers for cracking nuts, especially, although not necessarily, pecan nuts both hard and soft shelled.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a nut cracker of the fixed and movable jaw type with improved means for moving the movable jaw toward the fixed jaw by squeezing action of one hand against a hand lever to crack nuts open between the jaws with a minimum of movement of the movable jaw to obviate tiring the hand.

Another object is to provide for returning the movable jaw from cracking position and the hand lever to normal position by means of a single spring opposing a minimum of resistance to operation of the movable jaw and hand lever in the cracking operation.

Still another object is to provide a nut cracker having the above advantages and which is simply constructed and adapted for low cost manufacture.

Other and subordinate objects, together with the precise nature of my improvements will be readily understood when the succeeding description and claim are read with reference to the drawing accompanying and forming part of this specification.

ln the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of my improved nut cracker in the preferred embodiment thereof;

Figure 2 is a View in vertical longitudinal section, with parts shown in elevation; and

Figure 3 is a view in vertical transverse section taken along the line 3 3 of Figure l.

Referring to the drawing by numerals, the nut cracker of my invention comprises a ilat guide bar 1 having a top edge 3 provided at what constitutes the front end of the bar with an upstanding cupped jaw 5 rising from said top edge at substantially a right angle thereto an-d preferably formed integrally with said bar 1 to constitute a xed jaw. A relatively enlarged cap plate 7 is secured to the rear end of said bar 1 by a screw 9 and ratchet teeth 11 are provided in said top edge 3 to extend part way along said top edge from the cap plate 3, for a purpose presently seen. A finger grip bar 4 depen-ds from the lower edge of the bar 1 adiacent its Jfront end and will be again referred to, in detail.

A rectangular, movable jaw carriage 13, of sleeve form, is slidably mounted on the guide bar 1 for guided movement thereon toward and away from the fixed jaw 5 to correspondingly move a movable cupped jaw mounted on the carriage 13 by means presently described. The jaws 5, 15 are provided with right angled internal cracking ribs 17, 19.

The means for mounting the movable jaw 15 on the carriage 13 comprises the following. The movable jaw 15 is formed integrally on the front end of an axial stern 21 supporting said jaw 15 forwardly of the carriage 13 and slidably fitted in a longitudinal front counterbore 23 in said carriage 13 above and parallel with said bar 1 and extending from a larger, coaxial bore 25 in said carriage 13 open at the rear end of the carriage and forming at its front end an annular shoulder Z7.

l CC

Patented Jan. 24, s

A screw bolt 29 having its head 31 slidable in the bore 25 extends forwardly from said bore 25 and is threaded into an axial rear end bore 33 in the stem 21, and together with a coil spring 35 on said stem between the shoulder 27 and the head 31 tensions the movable jaw 15 for movement rearwardly relative to the carriage 13. A pair of bottom ears 37 on the movable jaw 15 straddling the top edge 3 of the bar 1, and a pin 39 extending through said ears and through a longitudinal slot 41 in said bar 1 prevents the movable jaw 15 from turning about its axis.

A U-shaped pawl 43 straddles the carriage 1 above the top edge 3 of the bar 1 and is pivoted, as at 45, on said carriage 13 for gravitational movement to engage the ratchet teeth 11 and hold the carriage 13 in forwardly moved or set position.

A carriage operating lever 47 depends from the front end of the carriage 13 with a bifurcated upper end 49 straddling the bar 1 and said carriage 13 an-d pivoted, as at 51, to a pair of upstanding ears 53 on the top of the carriage 13 so that said hand lever 47 is swingable forwardly behind said finger grip bar 4 from a normal downwardly and rearwardly inclined position. A pair of rearwardly projecting lugs 5S on the hand lever 47, at opposite sides thereof, engage a pair of lateral pins 57 on the pawl 43 and lift the pawl 43 upwardly in the normal position of the hand lever 47 whereby to form means for disengaging said pawl 43 from the teeth 11 in the normal position of said hand lever.

Cam means is provided on the hand lever 47 engaging the rear side of the movable jaw 15 to move said jaw forwardly relative to the carriage 13 in opposition to the coil spring 3S and which comprises a pair of forwardly extending and forwardly arched cam ears 59 on opposite sides of said hand lever 47 engaging the rear side of the movable jaw 15. ri'he cam ears 59 are below the pivot 51 of said hand lever 47 so that, on one hand, the movable jaw 15, under tension exerted thereagainst by the coil spring 35, tends to swing the hand lever 47 rearwardly into normal position by engagement of said movable jaw with said ears 59, whereas, on the other hand, under forward swinging of the hand lever 47 from normal position, said ears 59 cam the movable jaw forwardly toward the fixed jaw 5 in opposition to the coil spring 35 and with gradually increasing leverage.

l'n operating the described nut cracker, a nut, for instance, a pecan d1, as shown in dotted lines in Figure l, is placed between the jaws 5, 15 on the top edge 3 of the bar 1 endwise relative to said jaws with the carriage 13 slid rearwardly to open said jaws suiliciently and the hand lever 47 in normal position as shown in Figure l. The carriage 13 is then slid forwardly, as shown in Figure l, until the ends of the nut 61 are seated in the jaws 5, 15 and the pawl 43 engages a tooth 11 and dogs the carriage 13 against rearward movement and thus retains the same in forwardly set position. The finger grip bar 4 and the hand lever 47 are then grasped in one hand and squeezed together to swing the hand lever 4'7 forwardly, as shown in Figure 2. Forward swinging of the hand lever 47 through the cam ears 59 slides the movable jaw 15 on the bar 1 and in the carriage 13 forwardly of said carriage, in the manner already described, to crack the nut open. The hand lever 47 is then released and the movable jaw 15 is slid rearwardly to nut disengaging position by the coil spring 35 while the hand lever 47 is returned to normal position, also through the medium of the coil spring 35. When the handle 47 swings into normal position, the lugs 57 disengage the pawl 43, in the manner already explained, so that the carriage 13 may be slid rearwardly to open the jaws 5, 15 wide for again operating the cracker to crack another nut. The cap plate 7 keeps the carriage 13 from sliding oif the bar 1.

The foregoing will, it is believed, suice to impart a clear understanding of my invention, without further expla'na'tin.

Manifestly, the invention, a's'described, is susceptible of modification, without departing from the inventive concept, and right is-hereinreserved to such modifications as fall within the sc'ope ofthe appended claim.

Having described my invention, what is claimed as new In' a nut cracker, a bar having a toothed top edge and a lower edge. provided with an outwardly extending hand grip, a fixed jaw on the top edge of the bar, a sliding carriageon the bar, said carriage being slidably operable forwardly along said bar toward said fixed jaw, releasable pawl andratchet devices on said carriage and upper edge respectively, said devices holding said carriage in forwardly operated position, a movable jaw between said carriage and xed jaw, a stem on said movable jaw forwardly slidableinthe carriage parallel to said'bar, said stern supporting said movable jaw for guided movement forwardly re1ative to the carriage toward the fixed jaw, spring means in the carriage operatively connected to said stem and oppos ing forward sliding of the stem, and a swingable hand lever` for moving said movable jaw extending outwardly of said lower edge for grasping and operation by a hand gripping' the; h'a'nlg'ripr andhav'ing a bifurcated end straddling said bar and carriage and pivoted on the carriage for swinging of said lever in opposite directions, said bifurcated end having a pair of terminal cam ears thereon operatively engaging said movable jaw upon opposite sides of the stem upon swinging of said lever in one direction, a pair of lateral pins on opposite sides of said pawl, and a pair of lugs on opposite sidesv of said bifurcated end engaged with said pins upon swinging of said lever in the opposie direction to release said pawl.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,351,983 Allen Sept. 7, 1920 1,521,345 Turmes Dec. 30, 1924 1,586,513 Anderson June 1, 1926 2,200,515 Moeller May 14, 1940 2,491,628 Veriton Dec; 20, 1949 

